We present a study of the trade-off between depth and resolution using a large number of U-band imaging observations in the GOODS-North field from the Large Binocular Camera (LBC) on the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). Having acquired over 30 hr of data (315 images with 5-6 minutes exposures), we generated multiple image mosaics, starting with the best atmospheric seeing images (FWHM less than or similar to 0 ''.8), which constitute similar to 10% of the total data set. For subsequent mosaics, we added in data with larger seeing values until the final, deepest mosaic included all images with FWHM less than or similar to 1 ''.8 (similar to 94% of the total data set). From the mosaics, we made object catalogs to compare the optimal-resolution, yet shallower image to the lower-resolution but deeper image. We show that the number counts for both images are similar to 90% complete to U-AB less than or similar to 26 mag. Fainter than U-AB similar to 27 mag, the object counts from the optimal-resolution image start to drop-off dramatically (90% between U-AB = 27 and 28 mag), while the deepest image with better surface-brightness sensitivity (mu(AB)(U) less than or similar to 32 mag arcsec(-2)) show a more gradual drop (10% between U-AB similar or equal to 27 and 28 mag). For the brightest galaxies within the GOODS-N field, structure and clumpy features within the galaxies are more prominent in the optimal-resolution image compared to the deeper mosaics. We conclude that for studies of brighter galaxies and features within them, the optimal-resolution image should be used. However, to fully explore and understand the faintest objects, the deeper imaging with lower resolution are also required. Finally, we find-for 220 brighter galaxies with U-AB less than or similar to 23 mag-only marginal differences in total flux between the optimal-resolution and lower-resolution light-profiles to mu(AB)(U) less than or similar to 32 mag arcsec(-2). In only 10% of the cases are the total-flux differences larger than 0.5 mag. This helps constrain how much flux can be missed from galaxy outskirts, which is important for studies of the Extragalactic Background Light.

We present the results of a systematic search for Ly alpha emitters (LAEs) at 6 less than or similar to z less than or similar to 7.6 using the HST WFC3 Infrared Spectroscopic Parallel (WISP) Survey. Our total volume over this redshift range is similar to 8 x 10(5) Mpc(3), comparable to many of the narrowband surveys despite their larger area coverage. We find two LAEs at z = 6.38 and 6.44 with line luminosities of L-Lya similar to 4.7 x 10(43) erg s(-1), putting them among the brightest LAEs discovered at these redshifts. Taking advantage of the broad spectral coverage of WISP, we are able to rule out almost all lower-redshift contaminants. The WISP LAEs have a high number density of 7.7 x 10(-6) Mpc (3). We argue that the LAEs reside in megaparsec-scale ionized bubbles that allow the Ly alpha photons to redshift out of resonance before encountering the neutral intergalactic medium. We discuss possible ionizing sources and conclude that the observed LAEs alone are not sufficient to ionize the bubbles.

Context. The reionization of the Universe is one of the most important topics of present-day astrophysical research. The most plausible candidates for the reionization process are star-forming galaxies, which according to the predictions of the majority of the theoretical and semi-analytical models should dominate the H I ionizing background at z greater than or similar to 3. Aims. We measure the Lyman continuum escape fraction, which is one of the key parameters used to compute the contribution of star-forming galaxies to the UV background. It provides the ratio between the photons produced at lambda <= 912 angstrom rest-frame and those that are able to reach the inter-galactic medium, i.e. that are not absorbed by the neutral hydrogen or by the dust of the galaxy's inter-stellar medium. Methods. We used ultra-deep U-band imaging (U = 30.2 mag at 1 sigma) from Large Binocular Camera at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBC/LBT) in the CANDELS/GOODS-North field and deep imaging in the COSMOS and EGS fields in order to estimate the Lyman continuum escape fraction of 69 star-forming galaxies with secure spectroscopic redshifts at 3.27 <= z <= 3.40 to faint magnitude limits (L = 0.2L*, or equivalently M-1500 similar to -19). The narrow redshift range implies that the LBC U-band filter exclusively samples the lambda <= 912 angstrom rest-frame wavelengths. Results. We measured through stacks a stringent upper limit (<1.7% at 1 sigma) for the relative escape fraction of H I ionizing photons from bright galaxies (L > L*), while for the faint population (L = 0.2L*) the limit to the escape fraction is less than or similar to 10%. We computed the contribution of star-forming galaxies to the observed UV background at z similar to 3 and find that it is not sufficient to keep the Universe ionized at these redshifts unless their escape fraction increases significantly (>= 10%) at low luminosities (M-1500 >= -19). Conclusions. We compare our results on the Lyman continuum escape fraction of high-z galaxies with recent estimates in the literature, and discuss future prospects to shed light on the end of the Dark Ages. In the future, strong gravitational lensing will be fundamental in order to measure the Lyman continuum escape fraction down to faint magnitudes (M-1500 similar to -16) that are inaccessible with the present instrumentation on blank fields. These results will be important in order to quantify the role of faint galaxies to the reionization budget.

Recent work suggests that strong emission line, star-forming galaxies (SFGs) may be significant Lyman continuum leakers. We combine archival Hubble Space Telescope broadband ultraviolet and optical imaging (F275W and F606W, respectively) with emission line catalogs derived from WFC3 IR G141 grism spectroscopy to search for escaping Lyman continuum (LyC) emission from homogeneously selected z similar to 2.5 SFGs. We detect no escaping Lyman continuum from SFGs selected on [O II] nebular emission (N = 208) and, within a narrow redshift range, on [O III]/[O II]. We measure 1 sigma upper limits to the LyC escape fraction relative to the non-ionizing UV continuum from [O II] emitters, f(esc) less than or similar to 5.6%, and strong [O III]/[O II] > 5 ELGs, f(esc) less than or similar to 14.0%. Our observations are not deep enough to detect f(esc) similar to 10% typical of low-redshift Lyman continuum emitters. However, we find that this population represents a small fraction of the star-forming galaxy population at z similar to 2. Thus, unless the number of extreme emission line galaxies grows substantially to z greater than or similar to 6, such galaxies may be insufficient for reionization. Deeper survey data in the rest-frame ionizing UV will be necessary to determine whether strong line ratios could be useful for pre-selecting LyC leakers at high redshift.